Scroll compressor with a resonator

Abstract

A discharge chamber, into which refrigerant compressed by a compression mechanism, is discharged, is formed in an inside of a housing. A resonator is connected to an intermediate portion of a communication passage, which communicates between the discharge chamber and a discharge port of the housing. The resonator includes a resonance chamber and an inlet passage. The inlet passage has one end portion, which is connected to the intermediate portion of the communication passage, and another end portion, which is connected to the resonance chamber.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A compressor comprising:
 a housing that includes a suction port, into which refrigerant flows from an outside of the housing, and a discharge port, through which the refrigerant is discharged to the outside of the housing after compression of the refrigerant; 
 a compression mechanism that is formed in an inside of the housing and compresses the refrigerant drawn through the suction port; 
 a discharge chamber that is formed in the inside of the housing, wherein the refrigerant, which is compressed by the compression mechanism, is discharged into the discharge chamber immediately after compression of the refrigerant by the compression mechanism; 
 a communication passage that communicates between the discharge chamber and the discharge port; and 
 a resonator that is connected to an intermediate portion of the communication passage; and 
 an oil separator, which is placed on a downstream side of the discharge chamber in a flow direction of the refrigerant and separates lubricant oil from the refrigerant that is compressed by the compression mechanism, wherein: 
 the intermediate portion of the communication passage is located on a downstream side of the oil separator in the flow direction of the refrigerant; and 
 the resonator includes:
 a resonance chamber that is communicated with the intermediate portion of the communication passage; and 
 an inlet passage that has a first end portion, which is connected to the intermediate portion of the communication passage, and a second end portion, which is connected to the resonance chamber. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The compressor according to  claim 1 , where the oil separator is an oil separator that separates the lubricant oil contained in the refrigerant by colliding the refrigerant, which is compressed by the compression mechanism, against a wall surface of the oil separator. 
     
     
       3. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the oil separator is a centrifugal oil separator that separates the lubricant oil contained in the refrigerant by swirling the refrigerant, which is compressed by the compression mechanism. 
     
     
       4. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the second end portion of the inlet passage is placed in a location that is higher than the first end portion of the inlet passage in a vertical direction. 
     
     
       5. The compressor according to  claim 4 , wherein a bottom surface of the resonance chamber, which is located on a lower side in the vertical direction, is angled downward in a vertical direction toward the second end portion of the inlet passage. 
     
     
       6. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the resonator is placed in the inside of the housing. 
     
     
       7. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the compression mechanism includes:
 a stationary scroll that is fixed to the housing and has a stationary wrap; and 
 a movable scroll that has a movable wrap that is meshed with the stationary wrap to form a compression chamber. 
 
     
     
       8. The compressor according to  claim 1 , comprising an electric motor unit that is placed in the inside of the housing, wherein:
 the electric motor unit includes a shaft, which is connected to the compression mechanism to drive the compression mechanism; and 
 the second end portion of the inlet passage is further spaced from a rotational axis of the shaft in a radial direction of the shaft in comparison to the first end portion of the inlet passage. 
 
     
     
       9. The compressor according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the resonance chamber has a bottom surface, which is located on a side wherein the rotational axis is placed in the radial direction; and 
 a distance between the bottom surface of the resonance chamber and the rotational axis of the shaft decreases toward the second end portion of the inlet passage in an axial direction of the rotational axis. 
 
     
     
       10. The compressor according to  claim 9 , wherein:
 the resonance chamber has a ceiling surface, which is located on a side that is opposite from the bottom surface in the radial direction; and 
 at an end portion of the resonance chamber, which is adjacent to the second end portion of the inlet passage, a distance between the bottom surface of the resonance chamber and the second end portion of the inlet passage in the radial direction is smaller than a distance between the ceiling surface of the resonance chamber and the second end portion of the inlet passage in the radial direction. 
 
     
     
       11. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a cross-sectional area of the inlet passage is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the resonance chamber; and 
 the resonance chamber opens only to the inlet passage. 
 
     
     
       12. The compressor according to  claim 1 , wherein the resonance chamber is placed on a radially outer side of the compression mechanism. 
     
     
       13. A compressor comprising:
 a housing that includes a suction port, into which refrigerant flows from an outside of the housing, and a discharge port, through which the refrigerant is discharged to the outside of the housing after compression of the refrigerant; 
 a compression mechanism that is formed in an inside of the housing and compresses the refrigerant drawn through the suction port; 
 a discharge chamber that is formed in the inside of the housing, wherein the refrigerant, which is compressed by the compression mechanism, is discharged into the discharge chamber immediately after compression of the refrigerant by the compression mechanism; 
 a communication passage that communicates between the discharge chamber and the discharge port; 
 a resonator that is connected to an intermediate portion of the communication passage; and 
 an electric motor unit that is placed in the inside of the housing, wherein: 
 the resonator includes:
 a resonance chamber that is communicated with the intermediate portion of the communication passage; and 
 an inlet passage that has a first end portion, which is connected to the intermediate portion of the communication passage, and a second end portion, which is connected to the resonance chamber; 
 
 the electric motor unit includes a shaft, which is connected to the compression mechanism to drive the compression mechanism; 
 the second end portion of the inlet passage is further spaced from a rotational axis of the shaft in a radial direction of the shaft in comparison to the first end portion of the inlet passage; 
 the resonance chamber has a bottom surface, which is located on a side wherein the rotational axis is placed in the radial direction; and 
 a distance between the bottom surface of the resonance chamber and the rotational axis of the shaft decreases toward the second end portion of the inlet passage in an axial direction of the rotational axis. 
 
     
     
       14. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 the resonance chamber has a ceiling surface, which is located on a side that is opposite from the bottom surface in the radial direction; and 
 at an end portion of the resonance chamber, which is adjacent to the second end portion of the inlet passage, a distance between the bottom surface of the resonance chamber and the second end portion of the inlet passage in the radial direction is smaller than a distance between the ceiling surface of the resonance chamber and the second end portion of the inlet passage in the radial direction. 
 
     
     
       15. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein:
 a cross-sectional area of the inlet passage is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the resonance chamber; and 
 the resonance chamber opens only to the inlet passage. 
 
     
     
       16. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein the resonance chamber is placed on a radially outer side of the compression mechanism. 
     
     
       17. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein the second end portion of the inlet passage is placed in a location that is higher than the first end portion of the inlet passage in a vertical direction. 
     
     
       18. The compressor according to  claim 17 , wherein the bottom surface of the resonance chamber, which is located on a lower side in the vertical direction, is angled downward toward the second end portion of the inlet passage. 
     
     
       19. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein the resonator is placed in the inside of the housing. 
     
     
       20. The compressor according to  claim 13 , wherein the compression mechanism includes:
 a stationary scroll that is fixed to the housing and has a stationary wrap; and 
 a movable scroll that has a movable wrap that is meshed with the stationary wrap to form a compression chamber.